Dive Brief:
- A small-scale NYU Langone Health study found that a vegan diet was better at lowering a risk factor for heart attacks than the meal plan recommended by the American Heart Association, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. The findings were presented last month at a meeting of the AHA.
- One hundred patients were split into two groups for an eight-week trial. One followed a vegan diet and the other ate foods recommended by the AHA — which included meat, dairy and egg products. The group on the vegan diet saw a median 28% decrease in inflammation, while the AHA group experienced an average 7% decrease.
- Study organizers acknowledge this was a pilot study, and that a larger, long-term trial is needed to determine if a vegan diet will help patients live longer and have fewer heart attacks.
Dive Insight:
Strict vegans have been touting the health benefits of a plant-based diet for decades, and it appears medical science is now backing them up.
While many consumers are trying to eat more healthfully, strict vegans and vegetarians make up only around 2% of the population, according to the NPD Group. Revenues for products labeled vegetarian or vegan have remained relatively flat in the last year, according to Nielsen.
Enter the new popular term "plant-based." It’s a less risky label than “vegan,” which consumers could consider a code word for “tastes like cardboard.” From 2012 to 2016, plant-based product claims in the U.S. grew at a CAGR of 35.8%, with 220 related product launches in 2016 and 320 in 2015, according to HealthFocus.
Despite the low number of strict vegans, there is increased interest in alternative meat sources. A report published in 2015 by NPD Group, Midan Marketing and Meatingplace found 70% of consumers who eat meat are substituting a non-meat protein in their meal at least once a week. And of that total, 22% said they are using non-meat proteins more often than the year before — a sign of the growth potential in the category.
In 2016, Tyson acquired a 5% stake in meat alternative producer Beyond Meat. It was the first major meat company to invest in a plant-based protein company, but others have followed suit. Just last week, Canadian meat packaging company Maple Leaf Foods reported it acquired vegan meat and cheese maker Field Roast Grain Meat for $120 million.
Food companies should take note of the NYU Langone trial, and see it for what it is: a pilot study. A longer term trial is needed to validate these findings and determine long-term effects of a vegan diet. Food manufacturers may want to hold off on modifying their packaging or ad campaigns to tout the study results.
This trial may be enough of a reason for consumers who have a heart condition to make the switch to a vegan diet, but it likely won’t move the needle in a significant way. The AHA diet allows lean meat like chicken and certain cuts of beef, along with limited eggs and low-fat dairy. It may be a tough sell to get consumers to give up these familiar foods when there is an alternative plan that is still recommended by the AHA.